Turkish Airlines Delays Aircraft Orders to 3Q 2023, Sets Sights on Australia
Turkish Airlines has decided to postpone its highly anticipated record order for up to 600 aircraft by approximately two months, until late summer 2023. The delay is attributed to the recent Turkish presidential elections and the airline’s intention to carefully consider the implications before making this significant decision.
Ahmet Bolat, Chairman of Turkish Airlines, explained during a press conference at the IATA AGM in Istanbul last week that the election process took longer than anticipated, which affected their negotiations with engine manufacturers. In order to ensure fairness to all manufacturers involved, the airline has chosen to extend the decision-making timeline by around two months. As a result, the official announcement of the order will now take place in Istanbul, separate from the Paris Air Show.
Bolat emphasized that the order would consist of 400 narrow-body aircraft and 200 wide-body aircraft. While not disclosing specific details, he confirmed that Turkish Airlines is in discussions with both Airbus and Boeing.
It is expected that the announcement will include contracts from both manufacturers, potentially involving the Turkish aerospace industry. However, the exact details of this collaboration have not yet been disclosed.
Regarding the wide-body portion of the order, it is likely to include 25 new-generation long-range aircraft, such as the Boeing 777-9s or the Airbus A350-1000s.
Bolat also mentioned that the previously planned order for regional jets has been postponed until after finalizing the narrow-body and wide-body fleet contracts. He cited engine-related challenges with both the A220s and the E2s, which complicated the decision-making process.
Australia plans
Chairman Bolat confirmed Turkish Airlines’ plans to commence operations to Australia by the end of 2023. Initially, the airline will operate three weekly flights to Melbourne Tullamarine via Singapore Changi. Bolat acknowledged that this would be a limited service, but explained that expanding frequency would require new-generation wide-body aircraft. As the Singapore-Australia market is already well-served, the airline does not intend to seek fifth-freedom traffic rights for this route. Turkish Airlines currently operates 10 weekly flights between Istanbul Airport and Singapore, according to ch-aviation schedules.
Melbourne was chosen as the initial destination due to its relatively limited international options and the significant Turkish diaspora residing in the city.
In the future, Turkish Airlines plans to increase the frequency of Melbourne flights to daily and add daily services to Sydney Kingsford Smith. Additionally, they are exploring opportunities to serve Brisbane International and Perth International in the long run.
Oceania is the only continent not currently served by Turkish Airlines, and this expansion represents the airline’s commitment to further global connectivity.